Daily Archives: May 28, 2012

Review by: John H Glen

Date; 28 May 2012

Format: Paperback

My rating: 4 stars

Authors/Publishers Book Description/Synopsis

The Hostage Police officer Helen Weeks walks into her local newsagent’s on her way to work. Little does she know that this simple daily ritual will change her life forever? It’s the last place she expects to be met with violence, but as she waits innocently at the till, she comes face to face with a gunman. The Demand The crazed hostage-taker is desperate to know what really happened to his beloved son, who died a year before in youth custody. By holding a police officer at gunpoint, he will force the one man who knows more about the case than any other to re-investigate his son’s death. That man is DI Tom Thorne. The Twist While Helen fights to stay alive and the body-count rises, Thorne must race against time if he is to bring a killer to justice and save a young mother’s life.

What Do I Think?

Once more Mark Billingham is to be commended for the absolute readability of this finely woven story for me he has steered clear of falsely pushing Thorne into an atypical behaviour, and has faith in the readers that we will understand the dialect and speech used which is as usual delivered powerfully

This is a masterful story a real page turner and yes I found myself unable to put it down until I had finished, I just can’t wait for the next outing from the masterful story-weaver.

At the start though, “Good As Dead” look as if like it’s planning a somewhat standard state of affairs, when the Indian owner of a corner shop, apparently sick and tired with the day after day aggravation and aggression from a gang of youths.

I found the story captivating the description of all the characters is simply outstanding and Mark makes sure that Tom Thorne is not a hero, but a man attempting to do a demanding job.

“ Good as Dead” has a couple of things that facilitates its ascent to being one of the best woven crime thrillers I have read.

This is the 10th Tom Thorne book and the progression shows no slowing down or tiredness the growth of the Tom Thorne character over the last few books is great and to keep to this intensity of superbly woven stories is a demonstration of the gift that this master story weaver mark Billingham has.

To finish I cannot recommend Mark Billingham’s books enough and I await the next instalment with great excitement.

On the night of the State Dinner honouring the British Prime Minister, Oliver Stone witnesses an explosion as the motorcade leaves the White House. A bomb has been detonated in what looks like a terrorist plot directed at the President and the Prime Minister. In the aftermath, British MI5 agent Mary Chapman, an experienced, lethal operative with an agenda of her own, is sent to assist and coordinate the investigation alongside American authorities. Stone, together with Harry Finn, Alex Ford and the rest of the Camel Club, is drawn into the inquiry. But everything is not what it seems, and what happened in the park may not have been the actual plan. It seems the mysterious attackers had another target in their sights, and it’s up to the Camel Club to stop them, or face the catastrophic results.

What Do I Think?

I like the books of David Baldacci he is a superb story-weaver and one of the most naturally gifted writers in the action thriller, crime genres.

I initially read one of his books when in hospital in 1996 it also just happened to be his first one “Absolute Power” and I thought it was outstanding and I wasn’t the only one because the following year it was, Absolute Power (1997), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman, since then I have endeavoured to read everything he has and will write, although it appears that I might have missed some.

Of all of David Baldacci’s series, the Camel Club stories are my favourites, this rag-tag gang of amateur detectives and conspiracy theory nuts have developed over the course of a series of five novels into quite the distinct and gifted crew of crime-busters.
With their so called unfeeling and righteous ex-government assassin

Oliver Stone as their leader they don’t half get themselves into some tight spots.
With “Hell’s Corner”, David Baldacci has woven another pleasing thriller, fast, action packed and exciting.
The characters are all fully developed, and the squabbling, the fidelity, and friendly joking is perfect for a well grounded team.
As predictable for the Camel Club series, constancy and camaraderie are a large part of the story as they unite to help each other and get to the bottom of the crime / mystery under discussion.
Baldacci’s gift for fast paced stories remains utterly integral to my enjoyment and each time I start a book I say to myself just 3 chapters and then its bedtime and wouldn’t you know it I end almost finishing the book.

This master weaver of good fast paced action thrillers always puts in a few interesting twists and lovely reveals that can keep you guessing for a very, very long time about what is truly happening.

To conclude, I can truly say that I enjoyed reading “Hell’s Corner” it has all the hallmarks of a great story woven by a great story weaver, you just can’t go wrong with an outing with David Baldacci.

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